Patricio Freire, three-time Bellator featherweight champion and former Lightweight champion, recently admitted he has interest in moving on to the UFC upon the completion of his contract with Bellator MMA. He also shed some light on his understanding of the Bellator and PFL rumors in a recent interview.
“Actually, I’ve heard a rumor this week saying that Bellator and PFL will continue as separate organizations but will exchange fighters,” he said. “It would be very interesting to finish my contract with the belts from both organizations.”
Freire’s insight into what he has been hearing regarding the potential PFL and Bellator union are interesting given that much speculation has surrounded around the potential the two organizations merge.
If the latest speculation between Bellator and PFL come to fruition, Freire claimed that he has interest in testing his skills in the UFC once his current contract expires.
“I believe my career deserves a UFC (opportunity), and if I leave the organization with two titles, I have better conditions to enter the UFC doing a fight against a top contender,” he said. “As the biggest in Bellator history, I would love to start by facing Alexander Volkanovski, but I also would be glad to face the guy, Max Holloway.”
Those would be two huge fights for all parties involved. Freire did not disclose how many bouts he has left in his current contract with Bellator, but said “it’s not very lengthy,” and “it’s close to the end.”
The 36-year-old has a record of (35 – 7) and is coming off two straight losses to Chihiro Suzuki and Sergio Pettis by KO (punch) and Decision respectively. In August, he underwent surgery for herniated discs, which he claims previously affected his nerves, and caused his right leg to go numb after getting hit in his most recent losses. With the surgery behind him, Freire claims to be in full recovery mode and is feeling great.